President Donald Trump is moving swiftly to dismantle California’s aggressive electric vehicle and diesel emissions mandates, preparing to sign three Congressional Review Act resolutions aimed at rolling back what the administration calls “unrealistic and job-killing regulations.”
The effort will:
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Overturn California’s 2035 ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars—a policy that had been adopted by 11 other Democrat-run states.
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Reverse diesel emissions restrictions on heavy-duty trucks, including limits on engines used in shipping and agriculture.
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Eliminate nitrogen oxide rules that targeted off-road and industrial vehicles, which industry leaders said would cripple logistics and construction sectors.
Trump’s move marks the first time Congress has ever used the Congressional Review Act to revoke an EPA waiver granted to California—sending a powerful message about restoring federal standards over state-driven climate activism.
Major automakers including General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Hyundai, and the National Automobile Dealers Association are backing the repeal. Industry leaders argue the mandates were impossible to meet and did more to prop up carbon-credit markets than actually increase EV production. John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, called California’s targets “unachievable and disconnected from consumer reality.”
Governor Gavin Newsom and California Democrats have already threatened legal action, claiming the repeal will harm public health and cost the state tens of billions in healthcare-related damages due to air pollution. However, legal precedent suggests California may struggle to preserve its carve-outs under the Clean Air Act.
Supporters of the repeal say Trump is realigning regulatory policy with economic common sense—shielding American industry from runaway environmental extremism and defending consumer freedom in the vehicle market. Critics, meanwhile, accuse the administration of favoring corporate interests at the expense of climate goals.
For Trump, the repeal is another major win for his “America First” energy and manufacturing agenda. It restores national consistency in auto regulations, reins in unelected environmental bureaucrats, and puts the brakes on mandates that would’ve forced working Americans into expensive EVs before the market—and infrastructure—were ready.
This is more than a regulatory reversal. It’s a declaration that energy policy in the U.S. will be made by elected leaders, not activist boards in Sacramento.